Squad Busters: How to unlock Heroes and abilities

Squad Busters is all about building your ultimate squad, defeating enemies, collecting loot, and winning matches by gathering gems and outlasting your opponents. With the launch of the game's 2.0 update, Heroes are going to play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of a battle.

All four Heroes will have their own abilities and a separate Hero progression tracker. You can choose either Barbarian King or Archer Queen to represent as the main Hero after the update for free.

With that being said, this article further describes all four Heroes, their abilities, and how to unlock them.

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Choosing your first Hero in Squad Busters

First Hero selection (Image via Supercell)

As mentioned previously, you can choose a free Hero between Archer Queen or Barbarian King when you first launch the game after the 2.0 update goes live. This character will lead your squad in battles, boasting a unique ability that you can activate during fights. Each Hero also has a passive trait that provides constant benefits without needing activation.

For instance, if you enjoy close-range combat, the Barbarian King is a great pick. His Mega Slam charges forward and knocks enemies out of the way. Meanwhile, the Archer Queen is perfect for ranged combat. Her arrows deal damage, push enemies back, and split into three smaller projectiles.

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How to unlock more Heroes in Squad Busters

Archer Queen's profile (Image via Supercell)

After selecting your starter, you can unlock additional Heroes using Coins in the Shop. If you pick Archer Queen as your starter, you’ll be able to buy the Barbarian King with Coins, and vice versa.

This update introduces four Heroes:

• Archer Queen
• Barbarian King
• Mortis
• Royale King

All of them will be available on update day, May 13, except for Mortis. Unlocking him requires a different approach through a special event.

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How to unlock Mortis in Squad Busters

Mortis speeding ahead (Image via Supercell)

Mortis can only be unlocked through the Mega Piñata event, launching a few days after the update. As part of Squad Busters’ first birthday celebration, you’ll be able to collect Piñata Sticks during battles. Use them to open piñatas, each of which gives you a chance to find Mortis.

The more piñatas you open, the better your chances of unlocking him. Additionally, all the Piñata Sticks you collect contribute toward a community event, unlocking extra rewards like Hero Points to upgrade Mortis and your other Heroes. You can also invite your friends to your Piñata Group for faster progression.

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Heroes' abilities and how to unlock them in Squad Busters

Hero progression tracker for Barbarian King (Image via Supercell)

The Archer Queen's profile is given below:

• Type: Shooter
• Ability: Arrow Split (Fires a powerful arrow that deals damage, pushes enemies back, and then splits into three smaller arrows for extra area damage)
• Trait: Constantly boosts the attack range and damage of your squad’s ranged Squaddies, letting you pick off enemies from a safe distance.
• Turbo Boost: Increases your squad’s sprint speed to help chase enemies or escape tight spots.

Here's the profile of the Barbarian King:

• Type: Fighter
• Ability: Mega Slam (Charges forward, knocking enemies aside and dealing heavy damage to anyone in his path. Perfect for diving into groups of enemies or breaking through obstacles)
• Trait: Passively increases the attack speed of all close-range Fighters in your squad.
• Turbo Boost: Gives your squad a quick burst of speed for chasing down enemies or dodging danger.

Mortis details are given below:

• Type: Speedster
• Ability: Shadow Dash (Mortis dashes through enemies, damaging and weakening them while quickly repositioning himself)
• Trait: Boosts the movement speed of your entire squad while giving Mortis a unique, faster sprint that’s separate from the standard Turbo Boost.
• Turbo Boost: Mortis has a special sprint mechanic instead of the usual Turbo, making him one of the quickest Heroes.

Here are Royale King's stats:

• Type: Summoner
• Ability: Royal Reinforcement (Summons extra Squaddies to join your squad instantly during battle, giving you a temporary numbers advantage)
• Trait: Increases the health and attack of summoned Squaddies.
• Turbo Boost: Speeds up your squad in battle.

In Squad Busters, abilities are special moves you manually activate during fights. Each one has a cooldown timer, so you’ll need to use them strategically at the right moment. Meanwhile, the Traits are passive effects that are always active and don’t require manual activation. They give your squad constant advantages based on the Hero you choose.

Lastly, Turbo Boosts temporarily speed up your squad. Some Heroes, like Mortis, have a unique sprint instead.

Once you’ve unlocked a Hero, you can enhance their abilities, traits, and turbo boosts through the Hero Trail. Earn Hero Points by completing daily quests to level up your Heroes and unlock cosmetic items like skins, emotes, and new Squaddies.

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Check out more articles related to the game:

• Best attackers to use in Squad Busters
• Best defenders to use in the game
• Best Speedster character in Squad Busters